Author Erik Paul Rocklin’s tale, in the style of The Alchemist of The Celestine Prophecy, imparts similar philosophies and principles for a life that respects the Tapestry of the Spirit’ such as: trusting your intuition, that we are all able to help and heal others, that we “live” our destiny not simply “arrive” at it. The simple language and unrushed pace of the story conveys the boy’s journey of contemplation; disrupted only by some moments of tension which highlight another lesson: “without the depths of the troughs, the heights of the swells would have less meaning.”
The man, referred to as the Elder, offers guidance to the boy along the journey, for example by showing him how to cross a river by paying attention to the flow of the water, the location of the rocks, the surroundings, rather than trying to single mindedly cross the river without respecting the whole environment and the way they work together. The Elder, through lessons about the boy’s encounters and observations, unveils the Tapestry of Spirit, with its Threads of Destiny, as the metaphor for life and the journeys within it. While the intertwining of lives is symbolized by the boy’s encounters with people, like the grieving mother, an imprisoned boy, or exchanges of gifts such as a key and a backpack.
The Elder also provides a commentary that expands the boy’s understanding of the Tapestry of Spirit and highlights lessons along his quest, such as: “A seed planted at dusk does not yield a tree by dawn.” At times, the commentary is vague: “In times of plenty, remain humble in recognition of times of need, and in times of need, remain hopeful in recognition of times of plenty,” which dampens the overall effectiveness of the narrative. For those familiar with philosophical parables, the impact of the story might be somewhat diluted, too, by Rocklin’s re-examination and redundant explanation of the boy’s lessons, which draws away from the natural climax: “And in that instant, all things became clear.”
THE TAPESTRY OF SPIRIT is an enlightening read for fledging philosophers on the thread of destiny, but who also requiring some guidance along the way.
Reviewed by Maya Fleischmann for IndieReader.